Cowboys News: Can Dak Prescott Be Even Better In 2017?

Stephen Jones on how Dak can improve - SportsDay Staff
Dak Prescott had the best season a rookie QB has ever had, so are there any areas where he can improve? Stephen Jones tackled that question on 105.3 The Fan recently.

That's a tough, tough, tough question because he did everything so well. The biggest thing is time on the job. The guy's got an insatiable appetite to wanna be the very best and to ultimately win a championship. I know he'll get in there with coach Garrett, with Scott Linehan, with Wade Wilson, with our offensive crew and, obviously, his teammates and work to be better.

It's hard for me to sit right here and right now single out what he's gotta do better because he was pretty good - not pretty good - an All-Pro type player as a rookie. But at the end of the day, there's nothing like time on the job. As he continues to work harder at his trade, he's only going to get better. No one's gonna outwork him. He knows what this is all about and he's all in. What an amazing future to look forward to in terms of what it holds for Dak Prescott.

Which players led the charge in exceeding expectations during a record year? - David Moore, SportsDay
Moore runs down the nine players he feels exceeded expectations last year. The list is led by 2016 standouts Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Sean Lee, along with almost the entire offensive line. Here's Moore's take on Prescott:

Dak Prescott, QB: Was there any doubt who would top this list? A player the club wound up with because two other attempts to land a quarterback in the draft failed, a rookie club officials hoped wouldn't see the field, presided over the most unexpected rise in franchise history. The fourth-round pick displayed an uncommon poise and grasp of the offense along with leadership beyond his years.

Cowboys’ Dak Prescott will not follow lead of Nick Foles, Griffin III - Matthew Braunginn, Cowboys Wire
Dak Prescott faces many challenges, but regression isn't likely to come in the form it has for other recent young QB phenoms. Braunginn explains what sets Prescott apart.

Prescott’s leadership and poise is what truly puts him above any past rookie QB, he quickly lost rookie status within the Cowboys organization. Teammates remarked about his leadership ability when he was still running the equivalent of fourth-string during summer work.

The result of the game against the Packers is not an omen of what to come, the comeback and calmness that Prescott helped bring to the Cowboys after a rough start likely is, though. Lesser quarterbacks would have panicked, lesser quarterbacks would have pressed, instead Prescott kept calm and brought the Cowboys back within inches of the NFC Championship game as a rookie. His calm and cool, his poise will be why the Cowboys will return, he won’t let the team panic. He’ll make sure this loss feeds the fire.

Prescott won’t lose focus, he won’t let the team lose focus. He stepped in and had the entire team buy into him, it became his locker room, which is why the Cowboys stuck with him instead of Romo. He kept the team focused, he kept the team calm throughout the entire season.

A pair of national analysts think Cowboys QB Tony Romo would be perfect fit with Houston Texans - SportsDay Staff
We'll probably need a permanent Romo section in our News posts for the foreseeable future, though it's not clear that such a section would contain any "news" in the classic sense. Here are Nate Burleson and Andrew Perloff, on an episode of Sports Illustrated's Pro Football Now, speculating about Romo heading south to Houston.

"What will happen is he'll be looking at season ticket prices for the Houston Rockets because he's going to be starting for the Houston Texans right across the way there in Texas," Burleson said. "They've seen him, they know what he has and they have a really good defense which could help him stay healthy and stay upright."

Burleson's co-host Andrew Perloff agreed with the assessment but has trouble believing that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could live with the idea of Romo winning a Super Bowl in Houston instead of Dallas.

"It should be Tony Romo. It's a perfect fit, kind of warm," Perloff said. "I worry that Jerry doesn't want to send him in-state and watch Houston win a Super Bowl. That's my concern."

Darren Woodson: Tony Romo will have a say in where he’s traded - Sean Shapiro, All22.com
During a radio interview with 96.7 The Ticket on Saturday, Woodson shared his thoughts on how the Cowboys will deal with Romo.

"If (Bill) Belichick was in charge he’d be headed to the Browns," Woodson said. "The Jones family wouldn’t do something like that to Tony."

"Tony has earned the right to have a say in where he goes," Woodson said. "I don’t know what the trade will be, but he’s earned the right to be part of that decision."

Cris Carter says the Cowboys should trade Tony Romo for J.J. Watt - CBSSports.com
Now that Skip Bayless has parted ways with Stephen A. Smith and both have their own shows, we are bombarded with twice the amount of mental diarrhea. Case in point, Cris Carter showcasing the triumph of the uncluttered mind on a recent episode of one of the two shows:

"I'd try to pull off a deal for J.J. Watt," Carter said during an appearance on "Undisputed" this week. "That's what I would try to do. That would be the deal that I'd be going for with Jerry. I'd try to get J.J. Watt."

Here’s The Complete List Of 2017 Cowboys Free Agents To Be - Rob Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have about 30 percent turnover every year. That would mean about 20 new faces on the roster next year. Six of those new faces will likely be draft picks, add four or so free agent signings, and you're left with 10 spots for the 21 Cowboys players who'll hit free agency.

"There will be some changes, there will be some personnel, there will be some new guys here next year, there will be some guys that are here that won’t be here," head coach Jason Garrett said. "That’s all part of this National Football League. But I do believe we have a great core, a great foundation coming back and I believe they’ll be determined to take the next step next year."

The Bleak Draft History of the 28th Pick - Steven Mullenax, The Landry Hat
Mullenax surmises that although the history of the 28th overall selection is bleak, the Dallas Cowboys recent successes bode well for them in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Out of the last twenty prospects selected with the 28th overall pick, only five have ever been selected to a Pro Bowl. Since the NFL/AFL merger, there have only been two Hall of Famers selected with the 28th overall selection in the NFL Draft.

So, according to the last twenty years, the Dallas Cowboys have a 25% chance of hitting on a future Pro Bowl player in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Although, the Cowboys may have a slightly higher likelihood of doing so as they have produced five Pro Bowl players with their last seven first round selections.

Enforcement of illegal substitution rule doesn’t match its language - Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk
The penalty on Brice Butler against the Packers is water under the bridge by now, but Florio makes a good point about how the NFL Blandino either doesn't understand the rules or simply doesn't care.

Based on the language of the rule, there was no foul absent proof that Butler communicated with a teammate once he arrived at the huddle. If there is no such evidence, it’s entirely possible that this is yet another example of a discrepancy between the rules as written and the rules as enforced.